Leona Alleslev, the Liberal MP for Aurora-Oak Ridges-Richmond Hill has quit the Liberal Party of Canada and joined Andrew Scheer’s Conservative Party of Canada. Her announcement Monday in the House of Common stunned MPs. “The leader of her majesty’s Opposition and his team have a firm grasp of the urgent issues we face as Canadians and the resolve to confront them, and it is my duty to align myself with those values,” she told the House. The Canadian Press story breaking the news did not specify if she enumerated any issues in particular. “To my Liberal colleagues, thank you, but my oath is to country, not party, and my sacred obligation is to serve my constituents,” Alleslev said. Scheer welcomed Alleslev to the Conservative fold, making his new MP the critic for global security. Alleslev has represented the new Toronto-area riding of Aurora-Oak Ridges-Richmond Hill since narrowly defeating her Conservative challenger by 1,093 votes in 2015. Prior to politics, Alleslev served for several years in the Canadian military before joining IBM and Bombardier Aerospace. As an MP, she has served on the immigration and defence committees and as chair of the Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association. Some may guess that Ms. Alleslev is reading the tea leaves in her home riding where Conservative sentiment has always run fairly deep.
